Day 13- Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet Symptom Treatment Crohns Colitis

Juice Fasting vs Water Fasting

In order to manage your chronic illness such as Crohn's Disease, you've decided to undertake a fast. But which fast, a juice fast? Or a water fast and what is the difference between, the two? Most experts recommend juice fasting rather than water fasting for a number of different reasons.

Prior to fasting, decide what goals you want to reach with the fast. Once you have it clear in your mind what it is you want to accomplish, then decide how long you want to fast. If you plan to go on an extended fast then it would be advisable to have a health care provider watching over your progress. Juicing is said to be much easier than a water fast because water fasting puts more stress on the vital organs of the body such as the liver, heart, and kidneys. This is because water promotes a faster release of toxins and acids from the cell structure and that can be pretty overwhelming at first. Raw juices, on the other hand, supply vitamins, minerals and enzymes to improve cell oxygenation and promote quicker recovery from sickness.

When fasting, whether it be by juicing or water, experts tell us it always gets worse before it gets better, so a little preparation should be done first. If the fast is to last longer than 24 hours, prepare by eating vegetables and low sugar fruits for at least 3 days before beginning the fast. This is the rule if the fast is to last longer than 3 days but less than 14 days. While fasting, if you're juicing, consume hot herbal teas and hot vegetable broths along with fresh vegetable juice. To improve absorption dilute the fresh juice with 25% water before drinking.

It's okay to work up to a longer fast by doing shorter ones like one day a week for a month. If that is comfortable then progress to two days a week for a month. Seven day fasts can be done three or four times a year. Most people choose to fast at the beginning of each seasonal change. Be advised there are side effects to fasting both juice and water. These may include: a coated tongue feeling, metallic taste in the mouth, headaches, mucus discharge from sinuses and bowels, dark and or foul smelling urine and feces, as well as joint aches and pains.

These are symptomatic of the detox process. The symptoms are not dangerous and should go away after a couple of days. You should stop fasting if you experience any vomiting or diarrhea lasting more than a day. This situation raises the specter of dehydration which can be dangerous for sufferers of Crohn's Disease in particular.

Some individuals should never fast. They are people who suffer from anorexia, malnutrition, peptic ulcers, TB, HIV, Type I Diabetes, Post any surgical procedure, advanced cancers, acute or chronic kidney disease and people taking prescription medications without consulting their doctor first. Whether you have one of the listed conditions or not it is wise to talk to a doctor prior to embarking on a juice or water fast.